Thomas Kithier, the Clarkston basketball transfer who is committed to Michigan State, has been ruled ineligible by the Michigan High School Athletic Association and won’t play this season for the Wolves.

A 6-foot-9 forward, Kithier enrolled at Clarkston before the school year began after playing his first three seasons at Macomb Dakota.

Clarkston Community Schools said in a news release Thursday the MHSAA found the Kithier family was in violation of the association’s athletic-motivated transfer rule.

The Kithiers moved into the Clarkston district before the school year, which is a requirement for immediate eligibility for anyone changing schools.

The release also said that the MHSAA investigation came as a result of complaints filed by Dakota and that the school refused to sign Kithier’s educational transfer form, which would have granted immediate eligibility.

Clarkston appealed the MHSAA’s decision, but the MHSAA Executive Committee ruled last week that Kithier’s transfer was athletically motivated.

MHSAA communications director John Johnson said the basis of the decision was Kithier being an AAU teammate this past summer with Clarkston point guard Foster Loyer on All-Ohio Red, which is a major point that defines athletically motivated transfers in the MHSAA’s handbook.

Section 9 (E) and point No. 7 of the MHSAA handbook describing the definition of athletically motivated transfers states: “The student seeks to participate with teammates or coaches with whom he/she participated in non-school competition during the preceding 12 months.”

“It’s the cornerstone of the decision,” Johnson said.

Before last year, a similar situation happened when current senior and Wisconsin commit Taylor Currie, who was an AAU teammate of Loyer in the summer of 2016, moved from Ohio into the Clarkston district and was granted immediate eligibility.

But Johnson said the difference was Currie’s former school didn’t provide evidence or effort to block the transfer, something Dakota did with Kithier.

Dakota head coach Paul Tocco declined comment when reached by phone, saying the matter was in the hand of Dakota administrators.

In the news release, Clarkston coach Dan Fife and administrators expressed their disappointment over the decision.

“Thomas and his family found themselves in an academic situation he could not benefit from and a toxic cultural environment that was untenable and unhealthy,” Clarkston principal Gary Kaul said. “By blocking this transfer, Dakota administration demonstrated that they do not have Thomas’ best interest in mind.”

Fife said he feels the Kithier family followed the guidelines that should have resulted in immediate eligibility.

“That is what occurred in this case, and yet, I find myself in the position (for the first time in 35 years) of having to defend the integrity of my player, the Clarkston basketball program, and myself as a coach,” Fife said. “The MHSAA does not have a handle on transfers, and they’re making an example of Thomas.”

The Kithier family also commented in the release.

“Our move to Clarkston was a private family decision and one that we did not take lightly,” the Kithiers said. “We watched as our son’s school environment grew increasingly intolerable for him over two years, and we knew that staying at Macomb Dakota High School was not in his best interest. We researched several Michigan schools, and found Clarkston’s outstanding culture and academic curriculum to be a great fit for Thomas’ needs and future goals. Thomas is thriving socially and academically at Clarkston High School, but as a lifelong student-athlete, he is heartbroken to be denied the opportunity to participate in sports. We followed the rules, and our one and only motivation for transferring to Clarkston was to surround our son with a supportive community that sees him as a multifaceted human being, not a commodity.”